UCLA BASKETBALL: Bruins look to hit a double

When UCLA last won a conference regular-season title in 2008, the Bruins also swept through the tournament.

No Pac-12 team has replicated that feat since.

The Bruins took care of part one last weekend, beating Washington on the road while other contenders fell in their season finales to take the conference title outright. Now, they'll try and follow that feat at the Pac-12 tournament's Las Vegas debut, with their first game coming Thursday at noon.

Here are four factors that can help keep UCLA at the MGM Grand longer:

1: Don't get crushed on the boards.

This is not asking UCLA to win the rebounding battle. No, that hasn't happened in 11 straight games, and expecting this team to do so on a consistent basis may be more foolhardy than waiting for Godot. The Bruins have cemented their identity as the conference's worst rebounding team, but they won the regular-season conference title in spite of that.

What Ben Howland's team must simply avoid is the type of effort that has twice led to being outrebounded by at least 20 boards. When it happened against Arizona State in late January, UCLA could at least point to a hangover from its upset win over then-No. 6 Arizona.

Then it happened again last week at Washington State, a last-place team missing two of its starters due to knee injuries.

Both games, needless to say, were double-digit losses.

The Bruins' offense is good enough to overcome a four- or five-rebound deficit. They can't afford to let that swell.

2: Drew continues his steady run.

Two years ago, Larry Drew II's messy midseason departure from North Carolina had fans and media members up in arms. This season, the senior point guard turned himself into UCLA's single-season assists leader, shedding his old moniker of "Turnover Jesus."

Drew isn't a lauded NBA prospect, but he earned a place on the All-Pac-12 first team with his efficient, heady play. He has spent the entire season ranked in the top five in the nation in both assists (7.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.3).

His turnovers have ticked up a bit over the last month, perhaps a result of his team-high 35.3 minutes per game. He's made up for that in part by becoming more willing to take shots, scoring in double figures in four of his last seven games. Drew won't put up gaudy numbers, but he's hit clutch shots at Utah and twice against Washington State.

3: Don't choke.

For arguably the top offense in the conference, the Bruins are frustratingly prone to slow starts. UCLA fell behind 25-4 at Washington State last week, and 37-15 at Cal on Valentine's Day.

A first-round bye in Las Vegas would appear to help in theory, but both those slow starts came after around four days of rest. The Bruins will also have less to play for this week. They face either Stanford or Arizona State on Thursday - both of whom need to win the tournament for an NCAA bid.

4: Root for the Cardinal.

Facing eighth-seeded Stanford rather than ninth-seeded ASU would likely be a boon to the Bruins. UCLA had little trouble disposing of the Cardinal, twice beating a squad that struggles when its 3-point shots aren't falling.

The Sun Devils have zero momentum after four straight losses to end the regular season, but match up better against the Bruins. Co-Freshman of the Year Jahii Carson looks like the second coming of former Washington guard Isaiah Thomas, and can give UCLA fits coming off ball screens.